WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta and WellStar Paulding Hospital in Dallas have been named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s Partnership for Health and Accountability Core Measures Honor Roll. WellStar Kennestone and Paulding are two of 18 hospitals in Georgia to be placed in the Presidential category, one of the highest on the list. The honor roll is based on clinical data provided by the federal Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, which administers the nation’s Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Hospitals are required to submit care data to CMS, which details how well a hospital’s caregivers adhere to a list of Value-Based Purchasing core measures. These measures are the clinical processes of care that are known to be the most effective methods of treatment for surgical patients and patients who have suffered heart attacks, pneumonia and heart failure.

“We are pleased to recognize WellStar Kennestone and WellStar Paulding Hospital’s commitment to patient safety,” said Joseph Parker, president of GHA. “Compliance with these important core measures ensures that every patient receives the best, most effective health care possible.”

Kaiser granted accreditation

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc., TownPark Comprehensive Medical Center, in Kennesaw, has been granted a three-year term of accreditation in echocardiography in the area of adult transthoracic by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.

Early detection of life threatening heart disorders and other diseases is possible through the use of echocardiography procedures performed within hospitals, outpatient centers and physicians’ offices.

Comprehensive Medical Center has undergone a thorough review of its operational and technical components by a panel of experts. The IAC grants accreditation only to those facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care, in compliance with national standards through a comprehensive application process including detailed case study review.

True Salon growing

True Salon and Spa at The Avenue West Cobb is leasing the 4,000-square-foot adjacent space previously occupied by Swoozies, nearly doubling its size. The salon is planning for an August opening, according to Lynda Baker with True Salon. The expansion will allow the salon’s current 10 hairstyling areas to be increased to 25, while adding three spa rooms for aesthetic, massage and waxing services. Baker said two years ago the salon saw to an average of 1,732 clients per month. The salon’s 28-person staff now serves 2,071 clients and is hoping to increase to 2,200 per month before year’s end. Baker attributes the salon’s growth to a strong in-house training program for stylists, among other factors.

Local credit union selected as Top 100 Workplace

LGE is pleased to announce that it has been selected as one of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Top 100 Workplaces for 2013. The evaluation is based purely on the results of an employee survey. Companies are ranked according to the ratings that employees give them based on the principle that employees are the best judging panel.

LGE was ranked above average in several categories, including pay and benefits, work satisfaction, flexibility to balance work and home life, encouragement of new ideas and management support.

Cobb group seeks Next nods

Cobb Young Professionals, the Cobb Chamber’s networking group for young professionals in their 20s and 30s, is seeking nominations for the 2013 Next Generation Award. This award celebrates the accomplishments and influence of young professionals in the workplace and community.

Nominees must be active within the community, essential to their profession and offer a unique perspective. Recipients should be someone others can admire, learn from and celebrate. Any young professional may be nominated, but only members of the Cobb Chamber can be selected as an award winner.

For more information on Cobb Young Professionals or the Next Generation Award, contact Jessica Dudley at (770) 859-2359 or jdudley@cobbchamber.org.

New law firm to open at Square

Rob Teilhet, who represented Smyrna in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2003-10, will return to private law practice, establishing The Teilhet Firm on the Marietta Square. He will focus his practice on representing Georgians in need, including victims in cases of workers’ compensation, personal injury, family law and consumer protection. For the last two years, Teilhet has led Georgia Conservation Voters, a statewide environmental nonprofit dedicated to making conservation and sustainability state priorities. A resident of Smyrna, Teilhet joined Georgia Conservation Voters after serving four terms in the Georgia House of Representatives. In October 2010, Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Teilhet Executive Director of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council. From 2000 through 2006, he practiced law with the Marietta firm of Brock, Clay, Wilson & Rogers.

Cobb ranks sixth in state for health

For the second consecutive year, Cobb County ranked sixth in the state of Georgia for its level of healthiness, according to a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Nevertheless, health officials warn that the lofty ranking does not mean there is not still work to be done. Throughout the past couple of years, Cobb County has dropped in the rankings – it was ranked fourth in 2010 and fifth in 2011.

Specific areas that Cobb needs to focus on is its health statistics for youth and minority populations, especially in regards to obesity and a lack of access to affordable health care.

MetroAtlanta Ambulance awarded

Local Cobb County ambulance provider, MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service, was awarded the 2013 Emergency Medical Service of the Year for the State of Georgia. Also nominated and recognized for their outstanding service where Paramedics Kim Mathews, Phil Douglas and Holly Desenberg.

The annual banquet at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia was hosted by the Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services, and attended by EMS providers from around the state of Georgia. Courtney Terwilliger, chairman of GAEMS and the Governors EMS Advisory Committee along with Keith Wages, director of the State Office of EMS and Trauma presented the distinguished award to MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service President and CEO Pete Quinones. Surrounded by his management team and uniformed employees, Quinones stated, “I am humbled by and grateful for the recognition given the quality EMS services around this great state that were nominated for this award and I accept this on behalf the management and professional staff of more than 300 employees that work for us to diligently provide the highest quality patient care and customer service to the citizens in Cobb County and throughout Georgia”.

MetroAtlanta Ambulance is a 911 ambulance service provider for Cobb County including the cities of Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta and Smyrna. They are one of less than 200 EMS providers in the nation to receive accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services signifying they meet the EMS industries highest quality standards in patient care and customer service. MetroAtlanta Ambulance provides contract ambulance services for 14 hospitals throughout the greater-Atlanta area and north Georgia.

Allergy center in east Cobb

WellStar Medical Group, Allergy & Asthma, led by Grace Chiang, M.D., has recently opened a new east Cobb office located at the Merchant’s Station Building at 3939 Roswell Road, Suite 200. Chiang is board certified in adult and pediatric allergy and immunology. She specializes in allergy and asthma care for patients of all ages, including infants, children and adults. WellStar Allergy & Asthma also treats patients at its Smyrna location at 4500 N. Cooper Lake Road, Suite 101. To make an appointment at either location, call (770) 333-2027.

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